Underwater target recognition is a key technology for underwater acoustic countermeasure. How to classify and recognize underwater targets according to the noise information of underwater targets has been a hot topic in the field of underwater acoustic signals. In this paper, the deep learning model is applied to underwater target recognition. Improved anti-noise Power-Normalized Cepstral Coefficients (ia-PNCC) is proposed, based on PNCC applied to underwater noises. Multitaper and normalized Gammatone filter banks are applied to improve the anti-noise capacity. The method is combined with a convolutional neural network in order to recognize the underwater target. Experiment results show that the acoustic feature presented by ia-PNCC has lower noise and are wellsuited to underwater target recognition using a convolutional neural network. Compared with the combination of convolutional neural network with single acoustic feature, such as MFCC (Mel-scale Frequency Cepstral Coefficients) or LPCC (Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients), the combination of the ia-PNCC with a convolutional neural network offers better accuracy for underwater target recognition.Great importance has been attached to underwater target recognition technology by the academic and application sectors since earlier 1950s. Scholars in the USA have studied it since 1960s and Feigenbaum et al. in Stanford university developed the underwater prediction expert system and the improved SIAP by extracting features of narrow-band signal with signal recognition spectrum and related algorithms, in addition, related submarines in the USA and Britain have been equipped with the recognition system [Purton, Kourousis, Clothier et al. (2014)]. After that, scholars in Japan developed the SK-8 underwater target warning system based on FFT system, which compares the target signal with the existed spectrum to judge the target type [Xiao, Cai and Liao (2006)]. A.J. Bonner et al. in Canada developed the expert analysis system called INTERSENSOR based on the vessel radiated noise signal [Araghi, Khaloozade and Arvan (2009)]. Wu et al. [Wu, Jing, Chen et al. (1998); Wu, Li and Chen (1999)] have combined the energy spectrum of vessel noise with traditional statistical theory to recognize target with clustering. Yang Desen proposed the three-factor theory and judgement for line spectrum [Gu and Yang (2004); Li and Yang (2007)]. Han Shuping proposed a target spectrum of Spatio-temporal joint to differentiate target spectrum and self-noise spectrum effectively [Shu and Ping (2009)]. Yang Chunying applied the multiresolution decomposition algorithm and wavelet transform theory in the extraction of underwater target recognition power spectrum, in which the variable scale features of wavelet transform are used to obtain the better frequency resolution compared with the traditional short time Fourier transform method, improving the feature extraction accuracy greatly [Xi, Zou, Yang et al. (2011)]. With the rapid development of recognition technology, such technologies as n...